Paradise Island
by odyssey1
Summary: The Weasleys ( Hermione) & the Dursleys (Harry). Two families winning a trip to a tropical island where they're forced to share a bungalow. Neither family will ever be the same again! Let the fun begin! :)
1. Default Chapter

Title: _Paradise Island _

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Spoilers: For all books (just to be safe)

Notes: A great big 'thank you' to **Wolf's scream **for helping me struggle with grammar. Your help is very appreciated :)

Feedback: Yes, please! You can either review or send me a mail at :)

_**1. Getting the good news **_

Mr. Vernon Dursley, of Privet Drive Number 04, preferred life to go in a well-ordered way. He hated surprises, as did his wife and teenage son, although this innocent Saturday morning might have had a slight chance of changing his mind.

Mr. Dursley sat in the kitchen, as was his wont on free mornings, soaking his large moustache in a cup of coffee and lazily skimming through the articles in the weekend newspaper. Every once in a while he would shake his head in disapproval, muttering about lunatics and shooting a dark look at his nephew, who sat quietly in a corner and enjoyed a slice of dried bread with his snowy owl, Hedwig.

For said nephew, who went by the name of Harry Potter, symbolised everything that Vernon and his family despised. You see, Harry Potter was a wizard. Sure, he had only just finished his sixth year at _Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry _(where he had once again failed to get killed by Lord Voldemort) so he wasn't yet considered a fully-trained wizard, but still – he brought an ever-increasing amount of anomaly into the Dursley's life. In short: Harry Potter was chaos in its purest form!

Sending another hateful look at his nephew, Vernon returned his attention to the news. At least, he tried to because it was this exact moment that the door flew open with a mighty crash and his wife, long-necked and horse-faced Petunia, dashed into the kitchen in an uncharacteristic display of enthusiasm.

"Vernon!" she exclaimed, eyes sparkling with joy. "What do you think has just happened?"

He blinked up at her with mild interest. Knowing his wife, whose favourite passion was spying in the neighbours, she was about to deliver a shocking story about Mrs. Dunston, who lived two doors away on their left side. Petunia had always been suspicious of her for some reason. 'Here we go´ he thought, but said instead: "Yes, Dear?"

"Here!" she smiled, waving around an envelope in obvious triumph as if it contained an invitation to join the Queen for tea this afternoon. "I've won! We've won!"

Felling that his mother's agitation took up too much attention which should rightfully belong to him, Dudley Dursely burped loudly and hammered his fist on the kitchen table. "I want more ham!" he announced while his extensive bottom threatened to break the chair he was sitting on.

"Oh!" Petunia turned to her Dudekins´ and placed a loud, smacking kiss on his fat head. "Soon you won't get ham, my boy, but coconuts and exotic fish and fruits!"

Dudley did look a bit surprised at that revelation, but long-honed habits took over and he started whining in a surprisingly high voice. "But I want ham, Mom!" He howled, impaling Harry with a mean glare as he caught his skinny cousin rolling his eyes at the tantrum.

"Now, now," Vernon soothed his chubby son, "You know what the nurse in Smeltings said. You have to lose some weight or your body will suffer the consequences. Think of your blood pressure, the amount of sugar in your blood or at least your back! You've been complaining that it hurts lately!"

"And what would be a better opportunity to lose weight than spending a whole month on a tropical island!" Petunia beamed, finally letting the cat out of the bag. "In our very own bungalow, no less!"

"Tropical island?" Dudley squeaked.

"Our _own _bungalow?" Vernon echoed.

"Hooooot?" Hedwig added.

Petunia nodded vigorously. "Yes. Don't you remember the crossword puzzle I solved two weeks ago? Well, I sent it in and won the main prize!" In a hustle of nervous energy she reclaimed the letter once again and started reading:

"_Dear Mrs. Dursley, _

_Sunshine Holidays is proud to inform you that you have won one part of the main prize in our crossword puzzle competition. _

_You, along with your family, have won a whole month on a tropical island where you will live in your own bungalow (which will be shared with the second lucky winner) by the beach. _

_You will be brought there with Sunshine Airlines, where you and your family will fly in the first class compartment. _

_Please contact us to inform us how many tickets you need. _

_The flight will take place on August 1st, 10 o'clock in the morning. _

_Yours sincerely, Brendan Leigh _

_(Sunshine Corporation Director)" _

For a while stunned silence filled the kitchen. Then, finally Mr. Dursley found his voice again. "I wonder who the other lucky winner is. We'll have to share the bungalow with them, after all."

o0o -

"Pass the bread, would you?" a cheerful voice hollered over the hustle and bustle that exploded in the Weasley kitchen, where an assembly of lively red-heads were having breakfast. The two twins, Fred and George, had yet to be convinced that breakfast had nothing to do with "break – fast" and were pouring all of their considerable energy into that goal: breaking something fast while their mother, a plump but kind woman by the name of Molly, was trying to restore order by taking well-aimed swings at the twins heads with a wooden spoon. However, the threatening effect was somewhat marred by the fact that the spoon transformed itself into a rubber duck in mid-swing, causing riotous laughter by Fred and George.

"It works!" Fred shouted. "Witness another marvellous invention by – us!"

George joined in his laughter and gave an exaggerated bow but was interrupted by his little brother Ron's voice.

"So he just dove after the snitch and…!"

"Oh, d..! Mom!" the voice of young Ginny whined, "I got marmalade on my shirt! How can I..?"

"Ginevra," Molly admonished in shock, "you're not supposed to speak that way! And you, young man," she turned around and focused on Charlie, the brave dragon-hunter from Romania, who was giving his best not to tremble under his mother's stern gaze, "Didn't I clearly forbid you to teach any of the children Romanian swear-words?"

"Sorry, Mom. It just – escaped my mouth when I wasn't paying attention?" He tried a careful smile that was sure to melt Molly's heart. A warm smile stole its way onto her kind face in answer, completely ruining the effect of the stern scowl she tried to maintain. Luckily, a loud splat! announced that the family owl, Errol, had just flown against the window.

"Post is here!" George exclaimed excitedly and jumped up to get to the delirious owl. "To Mr. Arthur Weasley," he read while curiously scanning the envelope for the sender. His eyes lit up with astonishment as he finally found it and handed the letter to his father. "It's from the Ministry. What would they want from you on a weekend?" he frowned and promptly got his answer.

"Eureka!" Arthur Weasley cried as he bounced off his chair (knocking off a few plates in the process). "Molly!"

Ron exchanged an exasperated look with Charlie. "I reckon he's gone bonkers," he conversationally told his older brother who nodded solemnly before turning his attention back to the slice of toast in front of him. "Happens to the best of them. Just think of Moody."

"Molly!" Arthur exclaimed again. "We're going on holiday!"

"Arthur?" Molly inquired cautiously, one eyebrow rising slowly. "Are you all right, Love?"

Smiling broadly her husband rushed towards her, grabbed her hands firmly and twirled Molly around in a fast improvised waltz while holding up the letter triumphantly. Fred and George exchanged glances. Doubtlessly they were already pondering the consequences of having a crazy father. Sly smiles crept onto their faces while Ginny took a more direct approach.

"What _is _it, Dad?"

"That, Weasleys," Arthur declared in an important voice, "is a letter from _Sunshine Holidays. _I took part in a Muggle crossletter…crossentence…Oh, yes! It's called crossword puzzle and – who would have thought? – I've won! We're going on a holiday trip on a tropical island! And we're going to do it the Muggle way! We're even going to share our bungalow with a real live Muggle family!" He declared with relish.

Various mouths dropped at that new piece of information. Ever so slowly understanding dawned and slow smiles made their way onto the Weasleys faces, eyes starting to shine in anticipation.

Then the door flew open with a sudden bang to reveal a sleep-tousled Percy Weasley.

"Sorry, I slept so long," he mumbled sleepily. "Did I miss something?"

o00o -

A/N: Hi there and welcome to the ride! This is just a little piece I'm writing for fun. It'll prominently feature the whole Weasley family (safe for poor Bill who has to work), the Dursley family plus Harry and Hermione.

Constructive criticism as well as all comments you might have would be greatly appreciated :)


	2. 02 Choosing your company

For disclaimer please see chapter 01. :)

A/N: Thank you all for the nice feedback! Of course you can look forward to the Weasley twins at their best (or worst?), a bit of romance later on and character development in parts where you wouldn't expect it!

I'd also like to thank **Wolf's scream **for further help with the grammar. Thanks a lot :)

Hugs to you all, Odyssey :)

_**02 - Choosing your company**_

"Mom!" An excited voice hollered across the yard. "MOM!"

For a moment nothing could be heard safe for cackle of some chicken and the silent grumbling of some garden gnomes. Then, in a rustle of activity, a red head emerged out of a barn, listening intently. "Ginny, dear?" Molly Weasley inquired. "Did you call? I'm over here!"

Ginny, who had indeed been screaming her mother's name for the past half hour, sprinted lightly over the yard. "Mom," she panted, "Bill has just sent his answer. He can't come along. He's busy with Gringott's…stuff."

"Oh." Molly's shoulders sank in disappointment. She had hoped to get the whole family together on their trip, hopeful after Charlie had announced he's ask for a vacation to join them.

"Sorry, mom." Ginny seemed disappointed herself, especially since she adored her older brother. After all, he was the coolest of the Weasleys with his long hair, his leather boots and his earring.

"Ah! It can't be helped," Molly decided, laid a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder and led her back to the main house where the rest of the family was doubtlessly making preparations for their impending holiday.

Arthur, for instance, was beyond enthusiastic. He had borrowed several books from the Ministry's extensive library in order to learn about "proper Muggle behaviour". Needless to say that Molly already felt sorry for the poor family they would be sharing the bungalow with. The twins had been awfully quiet so far, which worried Molly greater than she would have liked to admit. Each day owls flew in and out of their room, carrying strange packages and every once and again puffs of blue and green and purple smoke would escape from under their door. Of course, both would assume an identical expression of angelic innocence when asked what they were doing. We're just making sure that we're up to living the Muggle way´ they'd say and smile enigmatically. Somehow, Molly was even more afraid for the poor Muggles they would be living with.

Upon arriving in the house (why did they always seem to end up in the kitchen, first?) Molly and Ginny were greeted with nothing less than the usual chaos that had taken up residence in the Weasley-house. Fred and George had come down from their room for once, looking as if they had only narrowly escaped an explosion, while Charlie and Ron were busy stealing raisins out of a cookie jar. Arthur and Percy had buried their noses in one of the books that Arthur had brought. Now and again Percy would readjust his glasses that stubbornly refused to stay on his nose and slipped down time and again. On the other hand, Ginny mused as she watched the tall lanky form of her brother, Percy could be doing it because he thought it might make him look intellectual.

However, her thoughts were interrupted by Ron. "So, Mom." He started. "I guess you've heard the bad news."

"Yes," Molly nodded, "so we'll be one less – oh, wait a minute! We've already sent out the number of tickets to _Sunshine Holidays_! We should tell them that they don't have to send…"

"Mom!" George (or was it Fred?) beamed, "That means that we can take a friend along instead of Bill. Perhaps…"

"Lee Jordan!" Fred completed the sentence with a devilish smirk.

"No!" shouted four voices in response, frightening the chicken outside. The twins looked devastated.

"Why not?" Fred whined, looking deceivingly angelic.

"He's such a _nice _young man!" George nodded earnestly, but possessed the self-preservation-skills to back off at Molly's stern glare.

"I want to have a girl along!" Ginny decided with a steely edge to her voice. "I'm fed up with your boy-talk´. Whoever we bring – I want it to be a _she_!"

Knowing that the smallest Weasley had just used her resolve-voice, the rest of the family went back to pondering who exactly would have the honour of accompanying them. Arthur smiled softly as an idea occurred to him.

"How about someone who's Muggleborn? Our own Muggle-expert, so to speak!"

"How about Harry?" Ron nodded enthusiastically, jumping around in excitement.

"He's not a she!" Ginny insisted.

"I bet you'd still like to have him along, Gin," Ron smirked as his sister turned bright red, making her head look like an oddly-shaped tomato. Fuming, she turned to Ron ready to start a fight as the most unlikely person to engage in the discussion averted Ron's the impending doom.

"What about Hermione?" Percy's cultivated voice suggested. "She's obviously a she´ as well as Muggleborn. Plus, her parents know us enough to allow her to accompany us."

Arthur beamed, completely taken with the idea and Ginny seemed to give it some thought, as well. Finally, a sly smile crept over her pretty face as she laid a friendly hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Besides, I'd bet Ron would like to have her along!" Ginny smirked as Charlie burst out laughing, the twins grinned at her appreciatively ("O_ur _little sister! You can see we're related, can't you?") and Percy shook his head in disapproval. Ron, however, turned scarlet.

"Well, it's decided then," Molly concluded, obviously satisfied with the outcome. "I shall owl her and Mr. and Mrs. Granger for permission instantly!"

With that she turned on her heel, leaving a small cloud of dust behind her as the rest of the Weasleys went back to bickering in peace.

o0o -

Mr. Vernon Dursley liked to think of his home as an oasis of calm and order. A neatly ordered front garden, a well-kept house, every picture hanging precisely at a right angle. There was one thing, however, that would always – with stunning precision – turn his life upside down. Said thing was currently sitting on the edge of the sofa (doubtlessly staining the clean material!) and rubbing his cursed scar. Vernon was just about to shoo Harry off as the disappointed voice of his wife reached him.

"She can't take care of the house while we're gone, Vernon!" she whined. "Everybody is busy these days. Marge has to deal with some new puppies, Arabella Figg has mysteriously vanished and Mrs. Dunston – well, I'm not letting her near the house!" Petunia looked close to crying.

"Now, now, Dear," Vernon soothed. "Have you already phoned everyone? Someone has _got _to stay here and watch over the house – and Harry."

Petunia nodded miserably. "I've been trough the whole phonebook! Nobody has the time or inclination to do so!"

Vernon furrowed his enormous brows. That was bad. That was _very _bad, indeed. They could eventually manage to leave the house empty for a month. The problem was – as usual – Potter. He would not allow the boy to stay there alone. Goodness knows what he would do! Probably burn the house down or, worse, infest it with others of his kind. Much to Vernon's chagrin the headmaster of Harry's infernal school had also made it quite clear that the boy was supposed to spend the summer holidays with his family. No escape on that route, either. Finally Vernon let out a long-suffering sigh. "Petunia," he started in a voice befitting a funeral speech, "We will have to consider taking him along."

Thud!

Turning startled Vernon discovered the source of the noise. His son Dudley had fainted on the spot.

**o00o –**

Comments / reviews please? Pretty please? ;)


	3. 03 Molokai

_Notes_: Once again 'thank you's go out to **Wolf's scream** who – once again – managed to point out some grammatical errors to me. Thanks :)

_**03. Moloka'i**_

**__**

The small island that was about to be inhabited by the Dursleys for the coming month was located only a few miles away from Moloka'i, a beautiful island belonging to Hawaii. It was still rather wild and untouched by mankind with long beaches with white sand, palm trees and a turquoise ocean. Tropical animals had not yet been driven away by noise and pollution. It was tranquil. It was idyllic...and the only way to get there was by helicopter, the friendly man from _Sunshine Holidays_ had told them.

Petunia Dursley was miserable. In fact, she was so miserable that she did not care that her hair was looking a mess and her clothes were getting sweaty. She was busy holding onto anything that would provide a bit of stability as the helicopter happily swung around in the air as if it were dancing to an unheard tune. Petunia raised her eyes (which she had closed shut throughout the whole flight) carefully, giving her son a concerned look. Dudley - sweaty, pink and terrified – took up one side of the helicopter all on his own. Petunia had, quite loudly, tried to protest and tell the pilot that her baby could not sit all alone on one side without anyone to hold his hand during the flight. The pilot, however, had promptly informed her that her son was simply too fat and that the three of them (herself, Vernon and Harry) had to provide balance from the other side of the helicopter. Hence the matter was settled and the Dursleys were loaded into the machine where they still sat twenty minutes later, each compulsively clutching a vomiting bag in their hands and waiting for the torture to end and for Harry to wipe that manic smile of his off his face.

o0o -

Harry Potter did not have a lot of pleasant things in his life. During the past years he had had to face more and more threats, responsibilities and nightmares than ever before in his short life. However, there was one thing that Harry had always loved – he loved flying in every way and form and was therefore barely able to contain his enthusiasm.

"Did you ever fly through a tropical storm?" he grinned at the pilot, who had taken an immediate liking to the flight-crazy teen. "I've heard that those storms can get really nasty," he added with a wink at Dudley, who promptly retreated deeper into his corner and whimpered miserably.

"Well boy, back in...I believe it was in the 1950-ies there was this really great storm," the pilot replied cheerfully, "and Annabelle – that's the 'copter by the way – and me had to fly some tourists over to the main island. It was quite a rough ride. 'Belle hasn't been the same ever since come to think of it."

"Really?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with her? Does this mean she's defective somehow? That we could suddenly _crash _into the ocean?" He was enjoying this far too much Harry decided and gave his cousin another grin. He'd face enough torture on the island pretending to attend _St. Brutus' School for Juvenile Delinquents_, Harry reasoned with himself. He had earned a bit of fun before that happened, so with an innocent smile at Dudley he continued his former train of thought. "By the way, does that clattering sound in the back mean that we've just lost some vital parts of 'Belle?"

And as Harry saw all blood seemed leaving Dudley's face at those words he finally admitted that perhaps this whole vacation-thing might not be so bad after all.

o0o -

"Ah! Let me present your home for the coming month," Brendan Leigh, Director of _Sunshine Holidays_ made a wide sweeping gesture that seemed to include the whole island. "If you would follow me please, my dear Weasleys, my associates have been so bold and have prepared a little welcome snack down at the beach. This is where you'll meet the other family, too, in a little while." ...and this is where I'm finally going to be able to escape from these madmen, Brendan thought desperately, his fake smile faltering ever so slightly as he hurried down the wooden steps that led to the beach.

o0o -

"I really can't _wait _to meet the other family," Arthur Weasley was, without a doubt, the most enthusiastic member of the Weasley clan. "We'll be living in a real Muggle house! Perhaps there'll even be one of those eklektik...eccentric...ectopical razor-things?"

"Electrical razor, Mr. Weasley," Hermione replied while taking off her sandals to feel the wonderfully white sand between her toes.

"Yes, yes! Ele...el...Anyway, I wonder if we're even going to have ekleticity."

"Electricity, Mr. Weasley."

"Right."

o0o -

The Dursleys arrived at the beach as the sun was setting into the ocean. The sky was a deep passionate red, the birds were singing their good-night to each other and the wind was softly whispering his welcome. However, all those tranquil sounds and impressions were overshadowed by Vernon Dursley's loud voice.

"And what will you do when we meet the other family, boy?"

Harry sighed. "I'll tell them not to pay attention to me. I like to be alone. You've taken me with you because you felt sorry for me and I'm a juvenile delinquent."

"And what will you _not_, under any circumstances do?"

"Magic."

"Harry!" Vernon bellowed, sending little bits of spit flying from his massive moustache. "How do we call it?"

"The M-word. I won't do it, talk about it or even think about it," Harry replied in a dead tone. His day had really taken a turn for the worse after the flight, he contemplated miserably. Dudley, on the other hand, had regained his usual malice as soon as he had felt solid ground under his feet again and had – for lack of any other source of entertainment – immediately begun to terrorize Harry. After all, Harry had been forced to leave his wand back at home giving Dudley an opportunity to torment him without fear of magical retaliation.

"I'm hungry," Dudley's whining voice interrupted Harry's depressed thoughts. "You said there would be food, Mum."

Alerted by her baby's wail Petunia immediately hurried over. "The food will be served when the other family has arrived as well, dear", she cooed, "but perhaps we can get them to serve us a bit of an aperitif?"

"I don't want an aperitif! I want food!" Dudley's cries increased in volume. Harry winced. His cousin was clearly overdoing the melodrama.

"But Duddikins, an aperitif _is..._"

"Well, well, well", an all too familiar voice suddenly interrupted Petunia, "it looks like our prayers have been granted, dear brother. We're finally reunited with one of our most famous customers."

Dudley stopped wailing immediately and peered into the growing darkness. "Who is it?" he squeaked rather feebly.

"You don't remember us?" Fred Wesley stepped closer, wearing an all too innocent expression. "I'm hurt."

"Obviously we didn't leave enough of an impression the last time," George grinned as he joined his brother. "Anyway, fate has granted us an opportunity to make up for it."

Dudley paled and waddled away as fast as possible to hide behind his father making unhappy little noises. Harry, on the other hand, could barely contain his happiness. This was too good to be true! "Fred! George! Don't tell me you'll be spending the next month here, as well..." Harry trailed off hopefully.

"Of course we will," the twins grinned. "Our father decided that it was about time we all learned a bit more about Muggles and promptly won a cross-thingy-puzzle. And voilá! Here we are! This is going to be the best holiday ever!"

**- o0o -**

Review please? It's extremely inspiring, you know? (and it would make me very happy) :)


	4. 04 Getting ReAcquainted

_Notes_: Nothing remains hidden from the critical eyes of **Wolf's scream**. Thanks for pointing out some more grammatical errors. You'd think I would have learned some grammatical skills by now ;)

**4. _Getting re-acquainted _**

A shriek cut through the lush air of the evening. Actually, there were two of them. One was uttered by a terrified Dudley, containing all of his misery and fear while the other belonged to one Harry Potter and spoke of complete and utter joy.

"Yes!" Harry screamed and pushed his fist in the air triumphantly.

"No!" bellowed Vernon and covered his eyes. "I will not be spending a month with these… these…people," he finished somewhat lamely at the twins' threatening grins. Vernon let out a deep and unhappy sigh. "There are more of you here, right?"

As if they had been waiting for a clue a sudden crunching on soft sand announced that indeed, there were more Weasleys present. Dudley whimpered quietly in defeat.

o0o-

Mostly it had been the smell of coconut cream that had attracted Ron Weasley's attention. It had drifted alluringly over to him just as Percy stubbed his toe on a small rock and let out a cry of dismay.

"There's just too little light here," the bespectacled Weasley brother moaned, "we can't see where we're going! It's a security fault! We should…"

"Ron!" an enthusiastic voice suddenly interrupted Percy. "Ginny! Charlie!" There was a rush of dark hair and quite unexpectedly a familiar hand clapped Ron on his shoulder. "Ron, we'll spend the holidays together!" Harry was grinning like a maniac. "We've won the crossword-puzzle, too!"

"Harry?" Ron's eyes went wide in surprise then his mouth split into an enormous grin. "Harry! Mate! How did you get here?"

Any answer Harry could have formulated was drowned out as he was almost thrown off his feet by a red-haired and freckled blur. "Harry! Harry! Harry!" Ginny giggled and enveloped a surprised Harry in a bone-cracking hug. Harry felt his ribs creak and was just about to plead for some air as another blur – dark and bushy-haired this time - crashed into him. "Hermione!" he panted happily as his ribs gave another ominous creak.

o0o-

It was this picture that greeted the Dursleys as they reluctantly made their way towards the Weasleys: a loud boisterous mass of red-haired _wizarding _people and in the middle of it all – Harry Potter sandwiched between two – rather pretty – girls.

Petunia gave a sniff of distain. "Just like I always feared," she hissed at Vernon, "he's rotten to the core. Barely a teenager but already he's showing a tendency towards polygamy." Vernon grunted in approval while Dudley, perhaps for the first time in his life, felt a sudden pang of jealousy towards his cousin as he gaped at Harry open-mouthed. Harry winked and grinned back.

However, Dudley didn't have much of an opportunity to react for Arthur chose that moment to take charge. Determined to use this chance and patch things up with Harry's relatives he spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley," he beamed jovially at them, "and Dudley of course. It looks like we're going to live together for the coming month. Why don't we get re-acquainted over that delicious dinner _Sunshine Holidays_ has prepared for us?"

And as it was the case on so many other countless occasions Dudley's stomach decided the course of action by giving a clearly audible grumble. Petunia's motherly resolve crumbled overtaken by the fear that her 'Diddikins' might faint on the spot. "Yes, yes," she quickly agreed, "Whatever we do, we should eat a bit first."

o0o-

The meal was a relatively quiet affair. Each family kept to themselves and Arthur's tentative tries at conversation were answered evasively by the Dursleys. Every now and then Fred and George would try to sneak a bit closer to Dudley whom they observed with something close to predatory hunger in their eyes. It was a look that made Dudley _very _nervous and _very _grateful when the two troublemakers finally vanished into the dark.

"So," Arthur carefully adjusted his glasses as he addressed the Dursleys once more. "So, I believe that there must be way to spend this time here together and be civil to each other. We're all civilised people after all."

Vernon gave a dubious snort as if he thought that 'civilised' wasn't the best word to describe any wizard and the Weasleys in particular. He directed the gaze of his small eyes at Arthur and puffed out his chest. "Mr. Weasley," he said in a voice he normally reserved for troublesome yet dangerous colleagues, "It is my opinion that we should simply ignore each other until we've contacted _Sunshine Holidays_ and demand that one of us will be taken to a different island. We simply cannot spend this time together." Vernon nodded decisively, pleased at sounding formal and professional.

Arthur pinched his nose in annoyance. Reasoning with this man was obviously out of the question. "Fine," he finally agreed tiredly, "we'll call them right after dinner. As far as I understand they left us some kind of Muggle-device to contact them. A fellytone?"

Vernon threw him a look of deepest disgust and grunted "Telephone. Right after dinner, then."

And those were the last words spoken between the members of the two families during dinner.

o0o-

"Fred?" a voice whispered into the darkness. "What's this?"

"I don't know, George. You know I never paid any attention to Muggle studies. At least not to the subject that was taught," a second voice whispered back.

With a shrug Fred slid the 'thing' into his pocket for further investigation and hurried after his brother. After a while watching Dudley cringe in fear whenever one of them grinned at him had finally lost its appeal so they had decided to do the next best thing: go investigate and prepare some small and insignificant surprises. With everyone being engrossed in their conversations and arguments slipping away had not posed a great challenge to the two pranksters who had finally found their way into the dark and empty bungalow. Over dinner the moon had risen and now only a pale silvery light illuminated the dark room drawing odd shapes and shadows on the furniture. It created and eerie and mysterious atmosphere…if you were receptive for those things which Fred and George were definitely not.

"A-_ha_!" a devilish grin found its way on George's face. "Did you bring our newest invention, brother dearest?"

"You mean the one that turns everyone purple who touches it?"

"Exactly" George sniggered maliciously. "I think I've found a use for it."

Two pair of eyes found each other in the darkness and glinted with barely concealed excitement.

o0o-

Back at the beach dinner was nearing its end, yet instead of being pacified after eating a delicious meal, tempers were beginning to rise anew.

"Harry will stay with you," Vernon informed the Weasleys coldly, small eyes glinting in satisfaction. Perhaps having to share a dinner with these madmen had not been a waste of time if it meant getting rid of _that boy _for the rest of the summer. Especially since Harry seemed to embrace the idea of staying with those _people. _

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Harry" Arthur shook his head sadly. "You know you're not protected when you're not in Hogwarts or with your family."

Harry's temper flared. "I don't _need _to be protected!" he protested loudly. "Didn't I prove time and time again that I can take care of myself?"

"Yes, he can take care of himself," Vernon nodded quickly making his chins wobble, "and he's not wanted here either!"

Arthur fixed the other man with a cold stare. "I cannot believe that you truly mean this. He's your nephew!"

"He's a freak!" Vernon hollered as a vein in his temple started throbbing. "All he's ever done is cause trouble. We never wanted him!" Mr. Dursley repeated.

"That's nice, 'cause I never wanted to be with you people either," Harry screamed back. "You're a –"

"I will not be spoken to like that!" Vernon's face had turned an ugly purple colour as he stood up and glowered at Harry. "You will –"

BOOM!

o0o-

A violent explosion in the distance shocked everyone into silence. Vernon still stood looming over the table, walrus moustache aquiver with excitement. Harry was still being restrained by Hermione who tried to restrain Ron at the same time while Arthur's ears and neck glowed dangerously red and Ginny slowly unclenched her fists and stopped struggling against Charlie, who was keeping his little sister from physically attacking Vernon.

"What was that?" Petunia's small voice finally broke the shocked silence.

"Sounded like an explosion."

"You don't say, Ron," Ginny snapped sarcastically as she still struggled with the sudden rush of adrenaline in her body. Ron rolled his eyes.

"It came from the bungalow, didn't it?" Percy interrupted before another argument could break out. "And just where are Fred and George?"

o-

"Oops."

The sound of coughing filled the bungalow as the dust began to settle and the clouds of greyish smoke began to recede.

"George? Is this a bad time to tell you that I gave you the wrong powder? The colour-changer-powder was in my right pocket."

"It was?" came the dry answer, "And what did we just use?"

His brother shrugged apologetically. "I really don't have a clue. At least we had a nice explosion."

"Yes," George agreed, "That and a ruined telephone."

Wincing, the brothers turned their attention to the charred and smoking remains of the only telephone on the entire island.

"There's got to be another one here, somewhere. We can't have just blown up our only ticket to get rid of the Muggles, can we?" Fred was only answered by silence. He sighed deeply. "Well, like I said before: oops."

"Yes, 'oops'", his brother agreed.

**o00o -**

A/N: Let me guess, you didn't think I'd ever update this again, right? No such luck!

I promise that future updates will be quicker (I'm trying for at least one update every two weeks). If you want me to notify you when there's a new update, please leave your e-mail address and I'll do so. :)

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it :)


	5. 05 Being watched!

For disclaimer please see prologue

Thank you to everyone who left a comment. I really appreciate it :)

**5. _Being watched ! _**

**__**

Harry Potter was being watched. Dark brown eyes were gazing at him unblinkingly. 'Who are you?' Harry wanted to shout but he wasn't able to utter a sound. His own eyes widened and frenzied thoughts shot through his confused brain: 'Was this the big attack? The one he had unconsciously been anticipating ever since his first year? What if Voldemort attacked and he wasn't able to speak? To cast spells?'

For a short moment Harry felt the blood drain from his head as he imagined what might happen to the Weasleys if he wasn't able to defeat Voldemort. Of course, a small rational voice in the back of his head that sounded remarkably like Hermione insisted that the Weasleys were quite able to take care of themselves and didn't need any protection, but Harry's concern and sympathy for the family drowned out every rational thought. With a tremendous effort Harry gathered all of his strength and threw himself forward at the unknown watcher. His momentums lead him straight ahead but something had captured his feet! Unable to stop himself Harry hit the floor wit a dull 'Thud!' and woke up.

o0o -

"Ooooh," Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-Defeated-By-His-Own-Bedclothes, groaned as he disentangled his legs from the blanket. He was sitting on a rather unfamiliar floor, next to a thoroughly messed up bed and surveyed the room with near-sighted eyes. Groggily reaching for the bedside table Harry found his glasses and the world swam back into focus as he put them on. A glimpse at his watch told him that it was far too early to be awake (especially on a free day) but that odd dream of his (had it really only been a dream? It seemed so real) had left him bereft of any desire for sleep.

Stretching and yawning languidly a sudden thought occurred to Harry. He was on holiday. For the first time in his life.

A wide smile spread over his face as he rushed to the window and looked out determined to soak in the feeling of being on holiday to the absolute maximum. He opened the window, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the salty scent of the ocean and the faint flowery essences that drifted up from the purple blossoms of the Astelia, the small white flowers of the Eugenia and countless other colourful flowers (that Hermione would surely know the name of) that grew around the bungalow. He could hear a mild wind rustling through the palm trees and the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the sandy shore. In a word, this was paradise and as Harry finally opened his eyes again he wasn't all that surprised to notice that the tranquil beauty of the island had moistened his eyes a bit. However, a more down-to-earth-concern interrupted his peaceful musings and hurriedly Harry started looking for the bathroom.

o0o -

The quiet that was unique to early mornings had always been treasured by Ginny Weasley. Growing up in a house where noise was a constant companion she had soon learned that those solitary hours in the morning were the only way to get a bit of time for herself.

Ginny padded sleepily over the smooth tile floor leading to the small kitchen, savouring the cool feeling beneath her bare feet. She was looking for tea. Preferably green tea. Looking around for the object of her desire Ginny was suddenly faced with another problem. This was a Muggle bungalow. With a Muggle kitchen. Straightening her back in resolve she decided that a true Gryffindor would not let that stand between her and her tea and with a determined expression on her face Ginny carefully approached the strange and unfamiliar kitchen utensils.

o0o -

The sound of clattering and a muffled curse caught Harry's attention as he quietly made his way back to his room. Having always suffered from too much curiosity than was good for him he decided to investigate and was soon confronted with a peculiar sight.

"Is there any particular reason you're mishandling the water digester, Ginny?" Harry asked as he watched a soaking wet Ginny attack the kitchen utensil with a potato peeler while muttering curses under her breath. Ginny's head flew up at his words which had obviously startled her.

"I'm making tea," she stated in a manner that indicated that this was a perfectly normal way to make tea. Harry's eyebrow rose in a mixture between confusion and amusement.

"So this is what you're calling it?"

"Harry," Ginny purred in a low, dangerous voice, "I have six older brothers. I could seriously hurt you if you think of making fun of me."

Harry's hands immediately flew up in a pacifying gesture and he retreated a few steps as Ginny did indeed look quite dangerous with that enraged glimmer in her eyes and those dark red strands of hair hanging limply into her face. He tried an apologetic grin. "I'd never even _dream _of making fun of you. That would be…"

"…preposterous while courting my sweet innocent little sister," a voice that sounded far too awake for the early hour interrupted. "Not to mention, contra productive."

"I…I'm not _courting _anyone," Harry replied in a small voice that made Ginny think, even if only for a small moment, that he had indeed planned to do so. Not wishing to fall back into her ill-fated infatuation with dark-haired Parselmouths Ginny quickly decided that a change of topic was needed. "Fred, I see that you've recovered quite well from yesterday after you blew up the felly…tello…phenotone!"

"Telephone," Harry cut in quietly as he heated up water for some tea.

"Right," Ginny nodded expertly, "Harry, do you might putting on a bit more water? Mum would surely like to have some tea, too, after screaming herself hoarse at Fred and George." She threw a pointed look at her brother. "Where's George anyway?"

"We're not joined at the hip, you know. He was still asleep when I left our room." Fred gave them a lopsided grin. "He was snoring like an angry Hippogriff."

Ginny made a noncommittal noise and gratefully accepted a cup of steaming tea from Harry. Blissfully the small redhead inhaled its slightly tart scent before reaching for the sugar cup and adding a few spoons full. Smiling contently that she finally had her beloved green tea, Ginny drank deeply…and promptly spit it out again. "Fred!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Of course you did! Who else would do something as immature a putting salt into the sugar cup?"

Fred scrunched up his nose in disgust. "George and I wouldn't do such a thing. It lacks style."

Ginny shot him a dark look. "As if _you _two ever cared about style."

Harry merely shook his head in amusement. He _really _liked the Weasleys and their peculiar morning habits, Harry mused and being absorbed in their bickering none of them noticed the small creature that peered at them with bright eyes and a malevolent grin.

o0o -

Morning melted lazily into noon and the refreshing and cool breeze made way for a bright sunny day. One after the other the occupants of the solitary bungalow woke up, had breakfast and (careful to keep the families separated) found their way onto the beach.

There they made a rather comical picture. Not having been out in the sun before, none of them sported much of a tan (with the rather impressive exception of Charlie who was not only tanned but downright burned in places when he'd gotten too close to moody dragons). So where the Weasley family presented a picture of alabaster white skin with countless freckles, the Dursleys tended to the colour pink. Dudley, wearing most fashionable dark blue boxer-shorts and a straw hat that his mother insisted on, looked pretty much like a large, pink, stranded whale. Petunia, wearing a bikini with a pattern that looked like it belonged on a wallpaper rather than on swimming clothes, kept following Dudley around and demanded that he should put on more sun blocker, while Vernon had hidden himself behind the annual report of Grunnings, the drill company he worked for.

o0o -

Hermione smiled to herself as she enjoyed feeling the warm sun on her skin. This was just what they all had needed, she decided as she picked up her sunglasses. Peace. Tranquillity. Absolute quiet.

"George! Fred! Don't you dare..!" screeched a voice not too far away from her and Hermione shook her head in amusement. 'Not quiet,' she mentally corrected herself, 'not with those two around.' She was just about to pick up her sunglasses as three pairs of wet, pale, freckled legs ran over her towel and splattered cold droplets of water all over her and knocked her book right into her maracuja-juice that immediately smudged the writing and made the book sticky. Hermione's brows drew together into a stern line. Damaging her book meant war! With an enraged cry the bushy-haired girl jumped up and gave chase. "Ron! Stop right there!"

The redhead in question abandoned his hunt of the twins and turned around. Seeing a fuming Hermione turned his legs to jelly and immediately he sped up, not only catching up with the twins but overtaking them. "Run!" he warned his siblings, voice cracking in panic, "Run! Run! Run! Run!"

The twins exchanged a quizzical look. "Ron? You all right in there, baby brother?" George asked, decreasing his speed.

Ron nodded frantically. "You've disturbed Hermione while reading! Run!"

Fred raised an eyebrow. "So what's the big deal? It's not as if we -"

The rest of his words were drowned out as Hermione slammed into him and slapped at his head with a wet towel. "George Weasley!" she screeched, "that was a deluxe edition of 'Robinson Crusoe'!"

"Fred," came a strangled cry from beneath the towel.

"Screaming for your brother won't help you!"

"No, I'm Fred! I'm -"

Splat! The wet towel hit him again as Hermione proceeded in avenging her beloved book.

o0o -

"You can't be serious." Karihi gave his companion a sceptic look. "You honestly believe that _these _creatures might be helpful? Look at them! They don't even seem to know what they're doing while left to their own devices!"

"Don't let that deceive you," the other small creature replied from its hiding spot. "They're pranksters. You heard the explosion yesterday."

Karihi remained sceptical. "Perhaps it wasn't meant as a prank, Rangi. Perhaps they're just so clumsy that they played a prank without meaning to?"

His companion gave him a long, hard stare. "We are not in a position to be very particular. We _need _pranksters and we need them urgently!"

Karihi winced beneath his long beard. Of course Rangi was right. Settling into the inevitable Karihi gave another heartfelt sigh and closed his eyes. "I still think we should learn a bit more about them before deciding what we'll do with them. They're obviously insane."

o00o -

I hope you enjoyed it and leave a comment if you feel like it :)

Next chapter up in maximal two weeks!


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